Touring frame: Aluminium or steel?

With steel, if something gets knocked out of alignment, it's easier to
fix. With LUGGED steel, if one tube gets severely damaged, it can be
replaced. (Not all that common, but it is something to consider.)

Chris Loffredo said:

Hi,

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same price.

According to the bike shop & several on-line articles I've read, the
material itself isn't so important compared to the construction. I'd
appreciate advice on anything I should look for in making my choice.

Chris

Chris Loffredo said:

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same price.

According to the bike shop & several on-line articles I've read, the
material itself isn't so important compared to the construction. I'd
appreciate advice on anything I should look for in making my choice.

Generally speaking, the steel frame is repairable while the
aluminum frame is not. Also, given comparable quality,
aluminum frames typically cost less to construct these days
than a steel frame. However, given the number of variables,
it would be hard to say in your specific case which is the
better value.

I would also look closely at the fork. The fork can have a
large effect on ride quality. In steel, a crowned fork will
flex more, and thus ride smoother, than a unicrown fork.
Aluminum appears to be a poor material for a fork since once
enough material is used to make the fork sufficiently
strong, it is also quite stiff.

Carbon forks can vary quite a bit. Carbon forks that are
bonded at the crown are often beefed up there, and the
result can be a harsh ride.

A full carbon fork with no bonding (many carbon forks with
carbon steerers are still bonded at the crown) can have a
nicer ride. When we offered a carbon fork option for our
Heron Road, we found that the Easton EC90 provided a
comparable ride to our crowned steel fork.

Of course, if you are going to tour with the bike and use
front panniers, you will definitely want a heavy-duty fork
designed for such use. The primary options here are steel,
but expect the stiffer fork to offer a harsher ride when
riding the bike unloaded.

Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com

Quoted message said:

With steel, if something gets knocked out of alignment, it's easier to
fix. With LUGGED steel, if one tube gets severely damaged, it can be
replaced. (Not all that common, but it is something to consider.)

Tube replacement is not only possible n a steel TIGed or filet brazed frame,
it's easier than on a lugged frame. And if a steel frame gets whacked out of
whack it can be straightened. Aluminium can't.
Phil Brown

Chris Loffredo said:

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same price.

Who's building custom aluminium frames? Never heard of such a thing!

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials

Sheldon "Metal Is Better Than Plastic" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic |
| is no more to the point than the fact than |
| a drunken man is happier than a sober one. |
| --George Bernard Shaw |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

"Sheldon Brown" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Chris Loffredo said:

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same

price.

Quoted message said:

Who's building custom aluminium frames? Never heard of such a thing!

At least one NorCal builder - Sycip.

Sheldon Brown said:

Chris Loffredo said:

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same
price.

Who's building custom aluminium frames? Never heard of such a thing!

Plenty of people build custom aluminum frames. Here's a
small handful to start with:

http://www.tetcycles.com/
http://www.zinncycles.com/
http://www.athertonbikes.com/
http://www.huberbikes.com/1_new_fab.html

Quoted message said:

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials

Sheldon "Metal Is Better Than Plastic" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic |
| is no more to the point than the fact than |
| a drunken man is happier than a sober one. |
| --George Bernard Shaw |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Todd Kuzma said:

I would also look closely at the fork. The fork can have a large effect
on ride quality. In steel, a crowned fork will flex more, and thus ride
smoother, than a unicrown fork. Aluminum appears to be a poor material
for a fork since once enough material is used to make the fork
sufficiently strong, it is also quite stiff.

Before the carbon fork craze, many bikes, including high-end
titanium bikes, came with light-weight aluminum forks (For
example, Kinesis forks used to come standard with Merlin
bikes) These forks were often considered to be flexier than
steel forks, and give a more shock absorbing ride than steel.

Mark McMaster
[email hidden]

Sheldon Brown said:

Chris Loffredo said:

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same
price.

Who's building custom aluminium frames? Never heard of such a thing!

See: http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials

Sheldon "Metal Is Better Than Plastic" Brown

Hi,

No, the frame itself isn't custom-made (in the case of Aluminium from
the far East).

The answers I have gotten so far seem typical of the problem: People say
and maintain opposite things re materials (yes, I did read your websie -
great!).
If only frames could speak: "How good are you?"
; )

Chris

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 17:32:15 +0200, Chris Loffredo <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same price.

According to the bike shop & several on-line articles I've read, the
material itself isn't so important compared to the construction. I'd
appreciate advice on anything I should look for in making my choice.

Steel would be my choice. It presents fewer problems over the long
term; seat posts aren't as likely to get stuck, dropouts aren't as
likely to get scored or wallowed, and overall. steel tubing is more
repairable and more paintable.

Titanium can also provide an excellent value.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"Boris Foelsch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<60997.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Who's building custom aluminium frames? Never heard of such a thing!

At least one NorCal builder - Sycip.

Co-motion does too (www.co-motion.com)

On Sat, 31 Jul 2004 12:03:10 -0500, Todd Kuzma <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

In steel, a crowned fork will
flex more, and thus ride smoother, than a unicrown fork.

Of course, traditional or unicrown is only one variable. For example,
the Tange Silhouette (unicrown) is more flexible than several
traditional classic steel racing forks (lugged crowns). See
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/rinard_forktest.html

Quoted message said:

Aluminum appears to be a poor material for a fork since once
enough material is used to make the fork sufficiently
strong, it is also quite stiff.

Could be, but there are several aluminum forks that are more flexible
than steel ones shown at the link above.

Quoted message said:

Carbon forks can vary quite a bit. Carbon forks that are
bonded at the crown are often beefed up there, and the
result can be a harsh ride.

None of the carbon forks measured had greater stiffness than the
classic steel forks.

Quoted message said:

Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, Il 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com

"Chris Loffredo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I'm buying a custom-made touring/fitness bike.

I have a choice between an aluminium and a steel frame for the same price.

According to the bike shop & several on-line articles I've read, the
material itself isn't so important compared to the construction. I'd
appreciate advice on anything I should look for in making my choice.

The real advantage of aluminum over steel is lateral stiffness and a slight
reduction in weight. Mass produced frames are also somewhat cheaper. If weight
or stiffness aren't a big deal and price is the same, there's no reason to go
with one over the other.

These are all valid points but the cost of repainting or repairing a
frame often exceeds the cost of repacement. Steel is prone to rust &
will also fatigue over time just like aluminum.

Evan Evans wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

These are all valid points but the cost of repainting or repairing a
frame often exceeds the cost of repacement. Steel is prone to rust &
will also fatigue over time just like aluminum

The first point is an invalid argument. Don't buy a cheap steel frame
disproves it. As steel will rust if left outside, buy a cheap steel frame,
there's plenty of steel there. Most people prefer not to have their
bicycles stolen so store them inside. If you have a collection of steel
frames which must be stored in outbuildings, treat the inside of the tubes,
diesel will do it.

TJ

On 2 Aug 2004 04:05:21 -0700, [email hidden] (Evan Evans)

Quoted message said:

These are all valid points but the cost of repainting or repairing a
frame often exceeds the cost of repacement. Steel is prone to rust &
will also fatigue over time just like aluminum.

And aliuminum will corrode, sometimes at an accelerated pace due to
dissimilar metal erosion.

Of the two, having had both for a while now, I still prefer steel,
though the extreme thinwall stuff can be a trifle fragile.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
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